School reverses decision to bar Colorado girl who shaved head to support friend with cancer

School officials in Colorado have relented and will allow a girl who shaved her head in support of a cancer-stricken friend to return to class.

Kamryn Renfro, of Grand Junction, had shaved her head as a show of support for her friend, Delaney Clements, who lost her own hair while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

“The medicine she was taking made her hair fall out, so I decided to shave my head,” Kamryn told the school board. “Delaney was really excited! She jumped up and down.”

Officials at Caprock Academy had told Kamryn’s mother the girl would not be allowed to attend classes until after spring break because her shaved head violated the charter school’s dress code.

But the school board held a special meeting after her story received international attention and voted 3-1 to reverse the decision.

The school received numerous calls and emails from people around the U.S. who were outraged by the board’s initial decision.

Kamryn’s mother, Jamie Renfro, who first drew media attention to the story when she posted about it Sunday night on Facebook, said she knew her daughter had violated the school policy, but she did not expect her to be barred from attending classes.

“We have got an amazing staff and an amazing administration, (and) they suffered greatly today,” said Jamie Renfro. “For that, I am sorry. I feel extremely guilty. I would just like all of that negativity to go away.”

After the school board meeting, the girl and her mother drove to Denver, where Delaney is still undergoing chemotherapy treatment for neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nerve tissue that is the most common form of cancer in children and infants.